We All Go Down
by FireTurnsToAsh
Summary: Everyone's healing after the Red Eye flight, but none more so than the two women Jack left behind; the woman tangled up in his mess and the woman he was trying to protect. They both have the ability to heal each other or will one let the other go down?
1. Chapter 1

**We All Go Down**

 **Summary:** Everyone's healing after the Red Eye flight, but none more so than the two women Jack left behind; the woman tangled up in his mess and the woman he was trying to protect. They both have the ability to heal each other or will one let the other go down?

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 _That Night…._

A creaky window opened downstairs. A rustle in the drawers of the downstairs bathroom then…. Silence. When the lights came on, Jack froze in his place. Bloodied and bruised, Emilie was used to seeing her husband this way, it was a sad truth about their marriage but this time there was a gunshot wound and a hole in his neck. Her eye widened as Jack fixed the scarf back over his throat. He didn't want her to have to see this.

"I'm in trouble." He had to keep his fingers pressed to his voice box just to get a few words out.

She listened to his wheezy breaths for a moment and closed her eyes. "I can see that." She let out an exhausted breath and stepped into the bathroom, almost slipping on a pool of his blood.

He groaned in pain as he gripped onto her, stopping her from crashing onto the cold tile. It was the last thing he needed.

"I have to go… Disappear."

"How long this time, Jack?" Emilie glanced up at him as she inspected the gushing entry point on his shoulder. He always did a piss poor job at medicating himself.

"A while."

"A while." She whispered to herself angrily. "You have two daughters, or did you forget that?"

"Of course not." He glared down at her before softening his gaze. "I'm leaving to keep them safe. To keep you safe." He winced a little as she cleaned his shoulder with rubbing alcohol. "Just until the heat dies."

"You said that this was going to be the last job you'd have to do for them. Indefinitely was your exact word."

He placed his hand on the side of her head and smoothed down her golden hair. She just about looked at him when he muttered, "I fucked up."

* * *

Emilie set down the rubbing alcohol and grabbed a roll of bandage. As she let the soft cotton slip through her fingertips she started to think about the two kids that were sleeping soundly upstairs. They needed a father more than she needed her husband; if he thought that he had to go then he should go.

Jack was always right about these things. It's the one thing she hated about him.

"Can't you stay the night and be there for the girls when they wake up? Once they go to school then you can hide?" she wrapped the bandage around him, tightening the gauze as much as she could.

He watched her as she leaned on the counter, noting the sullen look on her face. Jack didn't want to see her like this.

"They can't see me like this. People will be coming to put me down. When they come, do not tell them that I was here. I've got a few people left in Seattle, they'll help me slip under the radar."

"And then what?" she watched him as he put everything back in its place. "We just uproot our kids' lives and throw them into a big city?"

"No. We'll sell this place and move to a small town near your folks." He grabbed a handful of toilet roll and started to clean up the trail of blood he tracked in.

* * *

Emilie followed him around the ground floor of their modest home as she clutched onto the neck of her long T-shirt. She thought long and hard about what his leaving meant for their family. Alex and Abbie needed their father alive and well, but they also needed him constantly in their lives. And for her, she needed him at home now more than she ever did. He had been so busy with this one last job that she never had the perfect moment she wanted to tell him that they were going to have another child. She didn't want to keep it from Jack, especially when he would be gone for too long.

"Jack, I'll clean that." She scooped him off the floor and kept her hands on his arm.

"Don't let it dry in. They'll notice."

"Then I'll tell them I spilt some red wine." When he gave her an unimpressed look with his stern eyebrows raised, she crossed her arms and shook her head. "They are the least of my worries right now." She took in a jaggered breath and looked him dead in his blue eyes. "I need to tell you something important."

"Em, is this going to make me reconsider my options?"

"It might."

"Then don't tell me. If I stay, I will get myself killed. Emmy, you and the girls need me alive." He tilted his head and stepped towards her. "Do you still want to tell me?"

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut when they started to fill up. "No, I can't make you stay… Even if it's what I want."

He pulled her into him, not caring that the pain was occupying his whole body. She rested her head on him as he kissed the top of her head; taking in her scent in for what could possibly be the last time.

"I'll be in contact." He whispered as he pulled away from her.

"With the girls too? What do you want me to tell them?"

He started to back towards the back door and shrugged with his good shoulder. "That I'm going to do everything I can so that we can be together."

* * *

Emilie watched him as he stepped out of the back door. She hated watching him leave; she was sick of it. He promised her that he would never have to leave again and now he was in danger. Her perfect world was in jeopardy.

"Jackson," when his icy eyes met hers, it sent a cold shiver down her spine, "I love you, please stay safe."

A slight smirk crossed his lips. "I love you too."

When the door closed, Emilie let out a sigh and switched on the hallway lights, gawking at the mess Jack's injuries left. She got her mop and scrubbed away any evidence of her husband being there; if he was right, then his bosses would turn up on her doorstep, asking questions.

As she took the weight off her feet, she started to go over what she'd have to tell them until her thoughts ran away with her. Her emotions erupted from her eyes. All she could do was weep. She was foolish for thinking that she could have a normal life with Jack, but she loved him dangerously; they took vows that she wasn't willing to break. She got onto her feet and wiped her nose, she had to keep normalcy for her kids and that included having their school lunches packed and clean clothes in the morning.

* * *

Red wire to blue with a bit of insulation tape wrapped round to keep the engine running. He picked the shittiest car to steal, but if it kept him out of the firing line and got him to Seattle in one piece, then why complain about it?

As he steered out of the suburban area, he took once last look behind him and shook his head; Miami was a good place for his family. Alex was almost in middle school and Abbie had only started her education. Five years they had been there and now, because of a bitch who felt guilty for a politician, he'd have to pick up his whole life… Again.

Thinking about his mess made his blood boil and without realising, he was hitting ninety on the freeway, his feet pushing the pedal as far into the ground as he could get it. He had to dial it back. No cops. He was a wanted man.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, hurling it through his rolled down window. He couldn't let the bastards track him. He had a couple hundred in his wallet, it would have to do until he made his 48 hour journey north. He could live on garbage and junk food if it meant keeping his three girls safe.

* * *

The morning came in quick and it didn't make things any easier when she woke her daughters out of their ignorant bliss. As they got dressed into their freshly washed clothes, Emilie locked herself in the bathroom and soaked her face with cold water. She needed something to keep her awake because she wasn't going to sleep until she heard from Jack.

As she patted her face dry, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror; her eyes were dark and full of worry. She was going to be a dead giveaway to anyone that came to the door. What happened the night before was still written on her face. She snapped out of it when she heard knocking on the bathroom door and as she opened it, she saw Alex staring up at her with a panicked look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not dressed yet? I thought you were driving us to school?" Alex crossed her arms, tapping her sneakers off the wooden floor as she waited for her mother's explanation.

* * *

"I completely forgot," she ran her fingers through her hair, "give me ten minutes to get myself dressed."

"You packed our lunches, right?"

Emilie turned back to the mirror and tried to fix her dishevelled hair. "Of course I did, it's on the counter."

"And dad's still taking us to the aquarium today after school, yeah?"

Emilie looked down at her ten year old daughter and shook her head slowly.

"Work comes first, I forgot that. Dad's always doing this!"

She sighed and placed her hand on her hip, there was nothing worse than seeing her kids disappointed by their father. "I'll take you."

"No, I wanted dad to take us. Abbie and I wanted to spend time with him but I guess that's too much to ask in this family."

Emilie went to open her mouth, but before she could get any words out, Alex had stormed back into her room and slammed the door shut. Seeing her like this made her feel like a bad parent but the kids were too young to understand what was going on. She would never drag them into this. But she always had to be the one that faced the backlash from the girls when Jack goes away. She was the hated parent, the breaker of bad news. Jack never had to see their broken looking faces or hear them cry; he just got the warm welcome home and the hugs. Emilie hoped that telling them about their new addition to the family would bring them a little bit of joy amidst this heartache.


	2. Chapter 2

**We All Go Down**

 **Summary:** Everyone's healing after the Red Eye flight, but none more so than the two women Jack left behind; the woman tangled up in his mess and the woman he was trying to protect. They both have the ability to heal each other or will one let the other go down?

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

 _One week later…_

"Dad, what are you doing?" Lisa peered around the door at her father who was peeking through a slit in his drapes.

"Those damn reporters are back. You would think that they would just let you heal in peace."

"They're just doing their jobs."

He turned to face her with a determined air about him. "I'm going to tell them to piss off."

She laughed slightly, resting her hand on her aching ribcage and leaned against the door frame. "Don't. The police will get rid of them soon enough."

"Instead of ushering wannabe journalists off my property, the police should be out there looking for that mad man."

"They're here for my protection too, dad."

"I'm here. I'd like to see that Jackson Rippner try to walk in here."

Lisa smiled a little at her father and tucked a slither of hair behind her ear. "I've got to go."

"Go? Go where?" he turned away from the window and looked at her, the concern for her showed in the creases of his forehead.

"I have a doctor's appointment. It's just a check-up."

"Well then, let me drive you."

Lisa held up her hand and tried to think of a kinder way to express her feelings. "Thanks dad, but I need a little time to myself."

He frowned ever so slightly but gave in to her reasonable demand. "Go through the back while I get rid of these vultures."

She sighed in relief and left through the kitchen, waiting in the wings for Joe to cause enough of a distraction for her to make her escape. With the press by her door twenty-four-seven, she felt like a prisoner in her home; the streams of people that always showed up on her lawn and the constant broadcasting drove her mad. A part of her knew that Jack would be watching every broadcast about his poor victim and would enjoy every moment of it. That's how he got his sick thrills, by watching her for months before the flight. He admitted that himself.

* * *

Lisa hated the doctors, she wasn't sure if it was the mixed smell of all the medication or the blearing beeping of the machines that made her feel uneasy; whatever it was, it didn't help her conquer her fears. She kept up a good front, she didn't have her father fooled though, but she had tricked the media into thinking that she had no fears or nightmares about Jack crawling back into her life. It was all a scam, mostly for his benefit. The thought of her father getting his way with Jack made her happy, but she knew he wouldn't be coming back to finish her off. It was too dangerous.

She placed her sweaty palm over her face and folded over in her chair. She had to stop thinking about him and his promise of keeping in touch for the sake of her own sanity. Her thoughts were going to swallow her whole.

"Emilie Rippner?" the young nurse called from the end of the corridor.

Lisa took her head from her face and looked over at the fair-haired woman who got off her seat and moved towards the room at the end of the hallway. She looked away quickly as the woman looked back down towards the waiting room and straightened up, keeping her back pressed to the cold wall behind her.

"Rippner…" she whispered to herself, looking once more at the empty hallway where the woman once was. She had to be related to Jack. A sister perhaps or maybe his wife? "But he didn't have a ring… He was so flirtatious… Charming."

Lisa was starting to draw attention to herself. She looked crazy, mumbling to herself like a deranged woman. Her appearance was fitting of that thought; messy, uncombed curls and the loosest fitting tracksuit she could find.

"Lisa?" the young nurse re-emerged from the corridor with a friendly smile. "Doctor Spence is ready to see you now."

* * *

The small LED light hurt her eyes. She winced a little and closed over her left eye. Lisa needed a steady flow of aspirin just to keep her head clear. She watched Doctor Spence scribble something down on his notepad and tried to get close enough without being spotted to see what he was writing about her.

"You appear to be starting to heal up, quite nicely might I add."

"That's good, right? I can go back to work soon?" Lisa looked up at him optimistically, but the way he moved his spectacles from his eyes to his chin made her stomach drop.

"I'm afraid not. The injury to your head doesn't seem to be improving."

"I still feel dizzy sometimes and sick to my stomach." When he moved back to his notepad, she blurted out, "but that's nothing to do with my head, just my thoughts. I'm perfectly happy to go back to work."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with my decision if I told you to go back to the hotel." He looked up from the notepad and let out a small sigh. "It's only been a week since your attack and your mental state hasn't improved at all if you're still living it in your head. Also, I think you have post-concussion syndrome, it's not serious but your symptoms can last anywhere between a couple of weeks to a year."

"That's just fantastic." She groaned as she leaned back into her chair, crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"I can prescribe you something to help with the nausea but if you continue to feel dizzy, you will have to rest." The middle-aged doctor clasped his hands and let out a deep breath. "No driving until the disorientation improves and for the sake of your healing, take things easy."

"I have been taking things easy." She scowled.

"Great." He said as he filled out a form. "Take this to your pharmacist and come back to see me in six weeks."

She took the form from his hand and stuffed it in her purse. "Thanks." She tried not to slam the door shut behind her; she couldn't show her anger and frustration. The only peace of mind she got was knowing that Jack was probably suffering more than she was.

* * *

Emilie's hands were so full; car keys and a million and one pregnancy pamphlets that were full of information she already knew. She should've brought her back with her but her mind had been elsewhere. Between Abbie's craft fair, Alex's piano recital and the fact that Jack hadn't contacted her since he disappeared, to say that she was stressed was an understatement. Topped off with a lack of sleep, she was a disaster.

As she tried to unlock her car, the pages in her hand fell around her feet like a reminder that her life was going to get progressively more difficult. She got onto her knees slowly and scrambled around the gravel, trying to pick up every piece of bogus information.

"Let me give you a hand."

Emile looked up at the face of a woman that she kind of recognised. She just couldn't pinpoint where from.

"Thank you. Doctor's just love to hand out their little booklets of shit, don't they?" she got onto her feet and unlocked the car.

Lisa couldn't help but look at the covers of the pamphlets. Straightaway, she was curious; it was her opportunity to learn more about Jack, debunk her theory that he was a heartless maniac.

"Is this your first pregnancy?" she handed them over to Emilie and noticed the tiniest hint of a bump underneath her blouse.

"Nope, this is my third. You'd think that I'd be a pro by now." She displayed the pamphlets for a moment before throwing them into her car. "Apparently not." She leaned on the car and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You would think that." Lisa placed her hand on the back of her neck. "So, how far along are you?"

"Fourteen weeks, so almost halfway through my pregnancy. Give or take a couple of weeks." Emilie started to stare at Lisa's pale face, examining it carefully. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Lisa shook her head and put her hands into her pockets. "I don't think so."

* * *

Emilie tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening when she finally put a name to the face. "You're Lisa Reisert. I saw you on the news." She let out a sigh and dropped her hands to her sides. "That's why you came over to help me… You wanted more information to give to the press."

"No, no Emilie…"

"You know my name too? Oh my god." She looked up to the sky and turned to get in her car.

"No, I heard the nurse call your name in the reception." She grabbed onto Emilie's arm but she shrugged her off quickly. "Listen, I would never tell them something so sensitive. I mean, that's why you're covering up your belly because you know that once the press finds out about your pregnancy, it'll be all over Miami in no time."

"Then what is it you want? An apology? I'm sorry my husband caused you so much pain, I really am. But I can't apologise for him, he had a job to do and he did it for his family."

Lisa watched every tiny emotion flicker through Emilie's face. She was hurt just as much as Lisa; not physically but emotionally. She was angry, her brows gave that away but her eyes told Lisa so much more. She was scared.

"I think we can help each other. Work through our issues together." Lisa sighed and bit her lip nervously. "I'm probably coming across as a mad woman but I don't blame you for the things that he did or the choices he made… But I just want to be able to clear my conscience, be able to sleep at night again and tell someone what I'm thinking, someone who knows exactly where I'm coming from."

Emilie noticed the sincerity on her face and in her voice. "I'll think about it, but I don't know what you think I can do to help you."

"I just need a friend and I think that you need one too." Lisa shrugged her shoulders and clasped her hands. "We could be friends to each other."

Emilie got into her car and rolled down her window. As she started up the engine she looked at Lisa and rolled her eyes slightly. If Jack knew that she was even considering her proposal, he'd shut her down immediately. But Jack wasn't here and Lisa was right; Emilie was fragile, she needed a friend more than anyone.

"That little coffee shop by the beach, I'll meet you tomorrow morning at ten. If I see one camera man or even get the hint that there is an undercover journalist…"

"There won't be, you have my word."

Emilie grabbed her sunglasses from around the rear-view mirror and placed them over her eyes. "Then I'll see you then. Don't be late."

* * *

Pieces of clay stuck to Emilie's hair as she watched Abbie make her little clay squirrel. It looked nothing like the animal, but to her daughter, it may as well have been the real thing. Alex tip toed behind her mother and placed her hands on her shoulders, making her jump a little bit. As she looked at her daughter's pleading eyes, she raised a brow sceptically.

"What's going on?"

"Can you show me the scan you got today? Pretty please?"

Emilie smiled and nodded, glancing over at Abbie as her interest peaked. "Abs, go get mummy's purse from the kitchen."

"After you show us our baby brother or sister, can you help me with my recital piece?"

She wiped the clay from her hands on a piece of paper towel and raised a brow at her daughter. "Are you struggling?"

"A little bit. I just want it to be perfect."

Emilie placed her hand on her soft cheek, comforting Alex almost instantly. "You're thinking too much about it, just let the music flow through you and you'll be fine. Did I ever tell you about the first time I played for your dad?"

A huge grin appeared on Alex's face as Abbie ran back into the room, purse in hand. "No, you never told me."

"Your father and I had just started dating and he saw this really old piano in the apartment I shared with my college roommates," she opened up the purse and pulled out the ultrasound, passing it to her small daughters, "he demanded that I played him a song. I was so nervous about impressing him that I fumbled with the keys."

"Did daddy laugh at you?" Abbie asked as she looked up from the little photo.

"He did more than laugh at me, he teased me mercilessly. To this day he still calls me 'fumbles'."

"I never knew that, that was the reason why he called you that." Alex handed the ultrasound back to Emilie as she smiled at the thought of her father. "I really miss him."

"Me too." Abbie said as she pottered back to her crafting table.

"Me three, but he will be home soon, I promise." Emilie got onto her feet and started to pick scrap pieces of paper off the floor.

"Before the baby's born?" Abbie asked curiously.

"I hope so, baby." She smiled down at Abbie, trying to reassure her that everything she was telling them was the truth. Emilie had no idea when he would be home. She wanted him to be with them more than anything, but with Jack, things never worked out how she wanted them to.


	3. Chapter 3

**We All Go Down**

 **Summary:** Everyone's healing after the Red Eye flight, but none more so than the two women Jack left behind; the woman tangled up in his mess and the woman he was trying to protect. They both have the ability to heal each other or will one let the other go down?

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

He sat in the dimly lit apartment that he had called home for the past couple of days. He had been lying low; ditched his credit cards and switched up his cell phone for a burner. He knew how to hide all too well for his liking. Jack waited anxiously for his contact in Miami to get back to him, he had to know how his family was doing; knowing that his boss' men could be sniffing around his family panicked him.

When the shrill ring of his phone filled the quiet, it made him jump. "Well?"

"She was at the doctors, couldn't see what she was carrying to tell you what's wrong with her."

"Abbie's due a vaccination shot soon, it was probably information on that."

"The girls weren't with her. Lisa Reisert approached Emilie, looked like they were arguing."

"Was she the one to approach Emilie?"

"Yeah, but once Emilie realised who she was, she became hostile."

Jack smirked a little and leaned into his chair. "Good girl. Thanks for filling me in. Let me know if any of my boss' men land at the house."

"I'll keep a close eye on them, just you stay hidden."

"I'm planning on it."

* * *

Lisa waited anxiously in the cafe, holding a warm cup of coffee between her cold hands. She had so many bad thoughts about how this encounter with Emilie would go; that is if she would even show up, she was already late. The thought of Emilie showing up with Jackson right beside her played in her imagination, even though that was very unlikely.

When the exhausted Emilie finally turned up, hair frazzled and baggy gym clothes on her frame, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. Emilie sat across from her and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry I'm late, I usually do this yoga class when I'm pregnant, just to stop my back from getting tight and sore."

"No need to explain," Lisa smiled and took a sip of her coffee as she finally started to relax, "I'm just glad you came."

"To be honest, I thought about just avoiding you at all costs but then I realised after my class that I'd be home alone; Jack used to be at home after all my classes when I was pregnant with Abbie." she looked away from Lisa and rested her chin on her hand.

"I'm sure that your husband wants to be with you, especially when you're having his baby. "

"You can say his name, it won't piss me off, I won't cry or anything." Emilie tried her best to put Lisa's mind to rest, she was so tense and rigid.

Lisa shook her head, "I can't say his name yet unless I really have to. It makes what happened seem a little less real."

* * *

Emilie watched her every tiny movement and realised how torn Lisa was to be sitting with her; Emilie felt like that too. In Emilie's mind she was betraying Jack and she just knew that he would freak out if he found out. She shook those kinds of thoughts from her head, her healing was important. It was bad for the baby to harbour so much anger and stress.

"Jack doesn't even know that I'm pregnant, I'm sure he misses being with us but with all the prep he had to do for the Keefe plot and then the threat he faced when he failed, I couldn't tell him; he would've stayed and ended up being killed."

"That was really selfless of you." Lisa was sincere, she could tell that the Jackson she knew wasn't the same person Emilie knew; she saw the way she cared for him in her hazel eyes.

"I feel guilty for not telling him. He loves being involved in every aspect of our kids' lives."

"You did a good thing, if the police didn't get him, my dad would've."

"Or his company. The they sit outside our family home every day. The morning after the red eye flight, two men that I know well, as Jack's friends came in to my home when I was taking the kids to school and tossed the place. Worst thing was they waited for me to come home to ask questions, but they couldn't look me in the eye. I also think someone's following me. I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but I could've swore that I saw the same car parked outside my class that was parked so close to me at the doctors. It's probably just a coincidence or maybe it's just my hormones."

"How do you cope? If I was in your shoes I would go nuts."

"What good would becoming unhinged do? I have to keep a sense of normalcy in the girls' lives."

* * *

Hours passed like minutes, Emilie didn't know who needed this more, all she knew was that, the feeling of the weight of the world was taken from her back and it felt amazing. When she got home, a small package was waiting for her on the porch. She took it inside and opened it carefully; anything could've been in there. Inside was a small, black phone and a note.

'Emmy, use this phone if you ever want to contact me, even if it's just to hear my voice because I really want to hear yours. My new number is the only contact saved. Call me when you get this so I know my friend delivered it to the right house. I can't even trust the mailman right now.'

Without hesitation, Emilie rang the only number on the phone and with every dial tone, she got more and more excited to hear Jack's voice.

* * *

"Emilie, I didn't expect you to call me so quick. I'm so glad to hear from you." His voice was still raspy, but she could hear that it was healing quickly.

She held back tears, her breathing hitching with every sharp breath. "Jack, I've been so worried about you. Where are you?"

"I can't tell you, just in case someone's listening. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, the girls are at school. God, I miss you so much. The girls have been asking for you non-stop."

"I miss you all too. I'm trying my hardest to make things right with the company, well not directly. I'd never compromise my location." There was a short pause as he cleared his throat delicately. "I've had someone watching over you all, making sure that no one approaches you directly. I know that Martin and Randall were round at the house, checking things over."

"Yeah they were waiting for me when I came back from the school run; the place was upside down by the time I got there."

"Well they got nothing useful, you don't even know where I am."

"That's what I told the two of them."

"My contact also told me that Lisa approached you, are you okay?"

Emilie knew that Jackson had no idea that she was just back from coffee with her or he wouldn't be sounding so sweet on the phone. She wasn't going to tell him what she was doing with Lisa until her cover was blown.

"She heard my name being called out at the doctors and followed me out; the woman is still hysterical."

"Well is everything okay? Why were you at the doctors? Is Abbie or Alex sick?"

"No one is sick. I was actually meaning to tell you this, I was going to tell you the night you left…"

"But I made you stop," he sighed a little, "sorry about that, I just couldn't hesitate…"

"I understand. I don't know how you're going to take this."

"Spit it out, Em. Are you fine?"

"I'm pregnant, Jack. We're having another baby."

* * *

Emilie felt like her heart had just fell into her stomach, there was no sound coming from Jackson's end and she was so scared about his reaction. With everything going on for him, not being able to be there and missing out on half of her pregnancy already; it was going to be a hard pill for him to swallow.

"I wasn't expecting you to say that… I don't know how to feel."

"You're happy though, right?" Emilie took a seat before her legs gave out, her knees buckled against each other and the only comfort she had was to pick at the inside of her sleeve.

"Of course, you know that I wanted to have more kids; it's just, this has happened at the worst time. I'm on the run… I can't even be there at your scans." He sounded devastated, she could hear the disappointment in his voice. "I've really fucked up."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Tell me where you are so that I can find a safe passageway up to you. I desperately want to see you."

"It's far too dangerous… How much time have I got before the baby comes?"

"I'm pretty much halfway through the pregnancy."

"So, I've roughly four months to get myself out of the fire. This is going to be tough, Emmy."

"If anyone can do it, it's you."

He made a grunting noise and tried to think positively. "Is it a boy or a girl? I'm hoping for a boy because I'm seriously outnumbered."

Emilie laughed and ran her hand down the side of her face. "I've no idea, I don't want to find out without you."

"As soon as I put my hands onto that bump of yours, I'll know exactly what we'll be having. I mean, I was right both times with Alex and Abbie."

"I know, I can't wait to hear what you have to say, we'll place bets this time because I think you'll call it wrong."

"I never call it wrong, I've a high success rate at this guessing game."

"We'll see. Jack, I've got to go… I need to get the girls from school."

"That's okay, if the girls want to talk to me, call me. I'd love to talk to them."

"Expect a call before their bedtime."

"I'll set an alarm."

"Stay safe. I love you."

"Love you too, Em."

* * *

Jack threw the burner phone onto his bed and leaned back in the chair, placing his hands over his face. Things were starting to get hard for him, but he wouldn't tell Emilie; he didn't want her to stress out. He was a victim to his own thoughts; he was starting to have plenty of dark ones. Loneliness was a killer for him, he was so used to being around his family; tucking his girls in at night, being with his wife constantly and being around people that he thought were more than co-workers. Now, most of them had turned on him like a pack of wild wolves and he was an injured deer.

The only thing he could think of doing was completing the job. Once Keefe was dead then there would be no reason for his boss to keep sending people after him. He'd be able to move on with his life and he'd be there for the birth of his third child. All he had to do was to get his boss to agree to his terms.


End file.
